Category: Home and Family

Bringing home your newborn is an incredibly exciting time – but what do you do next? Newborn babies do not come with a set of instructions. That is left up to you, the parent, to figure out especially these weird things that your newborn do.

Sure, all those books and classes have prepped you for the major things: labor and delivery, the unavoidable sleepless nights and, of course, round-the-clock feedings. But what about the projectile poop and wandering eyes? Before you go running to the phone to call the pediatrician, we’ve got the rundown on all the freaky, but totally normal, things you’ll soon discover about newborns.

Cradle Cap

What’s the deal?

(C) Atlantic Foot and Ankle Associates

There’s no way around it— cradle caps are pretty gross. But they’re also pretty common. How come? Honestly, nobody knows for sure. The good news is any dryness or flakiness will usually disappear within baby’s first few months (though for some, random flare ups could go on for longer). In the meantime, try rubbing baby oil on the patches two or three times a week. Alanna Levine, MD, a parenting expert and pediatrician at Orangetown Pediatric Associates in New York, suggests making it a routine before baby’s bath and scraping the caps off with a fine-toothed comb.

When to worry: Luckily, there’s not too much worrying you need to do about this one—it’s basically nothing more than a common rash. But if it spreads beyond baby’s scalp or seems to be growing more severe, ask your doctor about getting a prescription ointment.

Are you living one of the lies of motherhood? This article talks about some open secret during motherhood including the several tips to make this stage effective.

1. You will bleed for a few weeks after.

When I had my first child, I was an adult woman with a college degree and a stack of half-read pregnancy books who had watched numerous episodes of TLC’s A Baby Story, and yet I had no idea that in the days and weeks following childbirth, I would bleed. Sure, I knew my vagina would be tender and sore. But bleeding that was like a heavy, blood-clot-filled menstrual cycle? I had no clue. (Turns out, this is normal. But if you’re worried, always check in with your doctor.) So let it be known to the world: adult diapers and the mesh underpants/magnum-size pads you get at the hospital will be your best friends. Love them. Cherish them. Use them.

(C) Celebrity Babies and Kids – People

2. You will still look pregnant, even when you’re not.

Imagine my shock when, after I pushed an eight-pound human out of my body, I still looked like I was a few months pregnant. The truth about post-baby-bodies is that they don’t shrinky-dink down to their former pre-baby sizes. Your stomach may be round and swollen for a bit after giving birth, and it’s not just extra pounds — your uterus needs time to contract in size. This is normal — not that you’d know it from body-obsessed tabloids — and has become normalized in recent years with women like Kate Middleton showing the world what actual post-baby bodies look like. Embrace your inner Kate and let that sweet baby belly shine.

3. Breastfeeding is not intuitive.

There’s this weird belief floating around (er, maybe just in my head?) that simply because we’re born with breasts means we’re going to naturally understand how to use them once they’re filled to the brim with milk. “Oh yeah,” one thinks, “I’ll just shove these things into my baby’s mouth and the nectar of life shall pass from my boobs to their lips and all will be easeful and joyous!” Nope. Breastfeeding must be learned and practiced, through a crapload of trial and error and painful, nipple-destroying attempts. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not getting it right away. Seek help from lactation consultants, books, the internet, and friends. Pain should be a red flag — and could be anything from your baby having a shallow latch or tongue tie to you having a clogged duct. There’s no shame in asking for help, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong as a mother.

Nothing is better than gathering family and friends for a backyard cookout. The good weather brings good vibes. People enjoy to venture into the outdoors, socialize with people around them, and take in the rays of sunshine. Just about the most frequent approaches to have a leisurely summer day is to have a barbecue or some sort of outdoor, mealtime event. Regardless of how you choose to begin planning your food, some type of cooker will ensure your meal is made promptly and properly with tons of flavor and appeal. Currently you will find a grill to suit almost any sort of culinary use and also physical space. It has been a huge boom to the amount of options available for the home and traveling cook. Gas, electric and coal grillers are the most widely used sort of grillers now.

(C) Good Housekeeping

One of the most classic is the charcoal grill. If you can now find infrared style grills, this doesn’t suggest this old fashioned grill has gone out of style at all. Rather, this product has seen a resurgence. The charcoal provides whatever you grill on it a tasty grilled and smoky flavor that’s difficult to come by somewhere else. Before, these types of grills were merely hollow steel balls, however these days these models can be found in numerous sizes and styles with a load of accessories. Additionally, modern models are much simpler to clean than before.

The gas grillers are the most popular of all the outdoor barbecues. Like the charcoal grill, they are readily available, inexpensive and come in a number of shapes and sizes. Gas barbecues don’t have too many bad points, the most notable being that a gas bottle is needed to operate them. This could be heavy to move. A few of the good points of gas grills is they are fast and simple to assemble and clean. Lighting is quick and simple with lots of having starter systems that do not require the use of matches. Also, cooking time is fast with cooking temperatures being reached almost as soon as the barbecue is lit. There’s hardly any smoke but the flames can flare up.

Electric grills are 3rd in line for the types of grill. These products have no extra baggage like gas or charcoal. Rather, these models just plug to a socket. That makes them particularly suited to in the home, camping, or even tailgating. They don’t really add just as much in flavor, but they beat the foremost styles of products with regards to convenience.

You got a call from your kid’s teacher for an emergency meeting and you found out that your kid is being bullied. One of the most common problems of children at school is bullying. As a parent, how can you address this kind of problem?

Finding out your child is being bullied is a tough moment for any parent.

We do all we can to nurture and protect our children, so the discovery that they are being bullied makes us feel powerless.

(C) parentingideas.com.au

However, the way you react when you find out your child is being bullied is important.

So what can you do?

To help answer that, we spoke to Alex Holmes, Anti-Bullying Programme Manager at the charity The Diana Award.

Here are his tips on how to help your child if they are being physically, mentally or even cyberbullied …

Listen to your child

The most important thing a parent can do is listen.

Do not minimise what your child is going through and, although you should be sympathetic, avoid getting over-emotional and angry about the bullying.

Instead, use active listening to summarise the situation and your child’s feelings. For example, ‘So they took your books and threw them all over the floor? And you cried because you felt sad? I can understand why you’d be upset.’ This approach will make your child feel heard, and reassure them about your love and calm support.

Don’t pick holes in what your child is saying. Your child has been brave coming to you, so believe and listen. Tell your child they have done the right thing in speaking up and coming to you with this.

Mother’s day is fast approaching and one way to show our love to our mom is to give our best on this special day. Usually giving bouquet of flowers is a tradition during mother’s day. But this time I would suggest this type of bouquet but with a twist. This would not be a simple DIY cake but you can also customize this into a simpler one.

Why give Mom a store-bought bouquet when you can bake her a cake frosted in sweet buttercream flowers? Here’s how it’s done.

Step 1

PREPARE LAYER CAKE

Start by baking our favorite yellow cake recipe. Then, apply a crumb coat to the cake using buttercream frosting (and make an extra batch of buttercream to use for your flowers).

Step 2

MIX COLORS

In various small bowls, add drops of gel food coloring to the frosting until the desired intensity is achieved.

The ideal landscaper should have this natural creativeness that will enable to easily visualize the look and design of the landscape you wish to have. On this modern world, landscapers are already using landscaping software to make designs and presentations. This is a replacement for the traditional paper and pencil. Certainly, technology have advanced every aspect of everybody’s lifestyle including landscaping. Yet, the landscaper must be sharp in his thoughts about the project that he is undertaking. He needs to have a plan that is achievable and practical for the client.

(C) Timberlinelandscaping.com

The main task which the landscaper must perform is measuring the area of the project which requires to be landscaped. The landscaper must also do an assessment of the terra firma of the project. Once this is carried out carefully, they can develop a final plan which is suitable on the area which is both agreed by him and the client. The natural aspects of the area should also be taken into sheer consideration by the landscape designer. The slope of the land, the elevation, and characteristics of the soil together with the atmospheric condition should be evaluated appositely, prior to starting the actual process of landscaping. After the successful discussions and investigation, they can then start planning and eventually develop the area. They have to present a variety of types and layouts that’s applicable to the area in order that the client can pick among them.

The landscaping plan presented, must have the 4 major sectors and these are the plants/trees, paths, feature and open areas.. The decided styles and shapes should be then in accordance into these sectors. The exit and entrance of the water should be considered before starting the design work. The requirement of various sorts of irrigation systems in the land would happen if plants, grasses and trees are included in the entire project. Then again, the landscape designing software could be very helpful in order to design the layout of your project.

After all of these aspects are considered, he must estimate the expense of the project and make a deal for any amendments. They also need to estimate the time that may require for the completion of the entire project. Once you understand this simple guidelines and have obtained the ideal landscape designer for your residence, then everything will go as what you have desired.

Usuage of E-Scooter / E-bikes has been rising on the roads of Singapore in part due to their low prices if imported directly from overseas. However, as a parent you might want to put a hold on the purchase of any such e-bikes for your kids anytime soon.

While they are convenient, and like any parents whom wants to pamper their child with the best, there are safety risk to such e-bikes usage.

As per most kid, they would always try silly things without being concern of their safety as such as a parent it is advisable that you take up the responsibility of educating your kid so as to prevent more accidents as we do not wish for more sad cases such as this to occur on the road.

Retirement savings are a critical part of your financial security. Whatever expenses you cannot cover through Social Security, Pension, post-retirement employment or other source must be made up by your savings.

The retirement savings crisis in America is easy to understand from at least one perspective: Most people find building a nest egg to be stressful, and to cope they may avoid it altogether.

The anxiety is found among all ages, according to a Schwab survey of 401(k) plan participants. Four in 10 cited building adequate retirement savings as a significant source of financial stress—ahead of the 24% naming job security, 21% naming paying off credit cards, and 20% naming keeping up with monthly expenses.

Millennials are no exception. Even though they have three decades or more before retiring, 38% said saving for that moment is a major source of stress—ahead of the 29% struggling to keep up with monthly expenses, 26% dealing with credit card debt, and 24% stressed about student loans.

Savers overwhelming accept that they must take responsibility for their own financial future: Nine in 10 say they are relying mainly on their own efforts. This suggests a broad understanding of the poor condition of our pension system—an understanding that probably goes deeper than that of our presidential candidates who are either avoiding the issue or fixating on Social Security.
The candidates are missing a big chance to score with voters: 77% in the Schwab survey said saving enough to retire is a major public policy issue. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has only a slight edge over Donald Trump (52% vs. 48%) in terms of which candidate is seen as better on pocketbook issues, Schwab found.

Workers are committed to their 401(k) plans. In the first quarter, just 1.1% of plan participants stopped …

The residents of nursing care homes are seldom loved and taken care of. They rarely go out or are visited by anyone. But what’s worse is that some people inside couldn’t care less.

Advances in technology and social media platforms and applications have allowed us to remain connected with one another nearly anytime, anywhere. Caregivers and their loved ones have used these tools as a source of support, entertainment, communication, and much more. But, as with many great inventions, there is a downside to this proliferation of mobile devices and social media. Unfortunately, the law has not caught up with these new technological advances, and vulnerable demographics have fallen victim to those who use these tools without ethical considerations or respect for others’ rights. One of these increasingly victimized groups is elderly and ill individuals who are receiving long-term care services.

March 2016: “A nursing assistant was fired after sharing a photo on Snapchat of an elderly and incapacitated resident with his pants down and feces on his legs, shirt and left hand. The resident had extreme cognitive impairments due to dementia.”

February 2015: “While talking to a friend on FaceTime, the live video chatting service from Apple, a nurse pointed the camera at a resident. At the time of the incident, an aide was washing the resident in bed following an incontinence episode. The aide said the nurse placed the cell phone in the resident’s face and demanded that he/she say hi on camera to the person with whom the nurse had been talking.”

January 2016: “A nursing assistant admitted to taking video of a 93-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease sitting on her bed in a bra with no underwear or pants. She shared the video on Snapchat with friends.”

July 2015: “Two nurse’s aides face charges of elder abuse for posting humiliating videos of residents on social media. According to the Lowell Sun newspaper, one video shows an elderly resident sitting on a commode while dressed and being asked about her sex life and if she smoked marijuana. Another shows the same resident sleeping when one of the aides yells in her ear, waking her up.”

September 2015: “Three personal care assistants were fired after an employee took a photo of a resident on the toilet and posted it on Snapchat.”

All of these are actual, reported cases of social media abuse in American nursing homes. In December of 2015 ProPublica released “Nursing Home Workers Share Explicit Photos of Residents on Snapchat,” a report aimed at raising awareness of this new type of abuse in long-term care settings.

Understanding what child autism is and is not will go a long way towards helping you cope with it. Children with autism need your understanding of how they see the world, and you can help them best by realizing that.

There are many things parents can do to help children with autism overcome their challenges. But it’s also important to make sure you get the support you need. When you’re looking after a child with autism, taking care of yourself is not an act of selfishness—it’s a necessity. Being emotionally strong allows you to be the best parent you can be to your child in need. These parenting tips can help by making life with an autistic child easier.

A parent’s guide to autism treatment and support

If you’ve recently learned that your child has or might have an autism spectrum disorder, you’re probably wondering and worrying about what comes next. No parent is ever prepared to hear that a child is anything other than happy and healthy, and a diagnosis of autism can be particularly frightening. You may be unsure about how to best help your child, or confused by conflicting treatment advice. Or you may have been told that autism is an incurable, lifelong condition, leaving you concerned that nothing you do will make a difference.

While it is true that autism is not something a person simply “grows out of,” there are many treatments that can help children learn new skills and overcome a wide variety of developmental challenges. From free government services to in-home behavioral therapy and school-based programs, assistance is available to meet your child’s special needs. With the right treatment plan, and a lot of love and support, your child can learn, grow, and thrive.

Don’t wait for a diagnosis

As the parent of a child with autism or related developmental delays, the best thing you can do is to start treatment right away. Seek help as soon as you suspect something’s wrong. Don’t wait to see if your child will catch up later or outgrow the problem. Don’t even wait for an official diagnosis. The earlier children with autism spectrum disorders get help, the greater their chance of treatment success. Early intervention is the most effective way to speed up your child’s development and reduce the symptoms of autism.

When your child has autism: Tips for parents

Learn about autism. The more you know about autism spectrum disorders, the better equipped you’ll be to make informed decisions for your child. Educate yourself about the treatment options, ask questions, and participate in all treatment decisions.

Become an expert on your child. Figure out what triggers your kid’s “bad” or disruptive behaviors and what elicits a positive response. What does your autistic child find stressful? Calming? Uncomfortable? Enjoyable? If you understand what affects your child, you’ll be better at troubleshooting problems and preventing situations that cause difficulties.

Accept your child, quirks and all. Rather than focusing on how your autistic child is different from other children and what he or she is “missing,” practice acceptance. Enjoy your kid’s special quirks, celebrate small successes, and stop comparing your child to others. Feeling unconditionally loved and accepted will help your child more than anything else.

Don’t give up. It’s impossible to predict the course of an autism spectrum disorder. Don’t jump to conclusions about what life is going to be like for your child. Like everyone else, people with autism have an entire lifetime to grow and develop their abilities.

Helping children with autism tip 1: Provide structure and safety

Learning all you can about autism and getting involved in treatment will go a long way toward helping your child. Additionally, the following tips will make daily home life easier for both you and your autistic child:

Be consistent. Children with autism have a hard time adapting what they’ve learned in one setting (such as the therapist’s office or school) to others …